Skilled nursing providers will have a rich agenda to soak up Dec. 1 when the MLN Connects National Provider Call features a doctor pointing out how to better manage high-risk medications and a pharmacist discussing drug regimen reviews and medication reconciliation. Experts from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also will give a progress update on the National Partnership and Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI).

Plans are being put into place that will also penalize the skilled nursing facility for avoidable readmissions. As such, to distinguish oneself as a desirable downstream provider, one must effectively manage these high risk patient's care

Proper and effective medication management of controlled substances can save your facility thousands of dollars in needless waste and diversion. Most solutions are, figuratively speaking, right under your nose if you know where and how to look. Learn how to protect this valued asset, as well as your staff and residents.

One area where many SNFs have room to improve is medication management. Optimizing medication management services during care transitions will position SNFs as high-value partners in the preferred referral networks of hospitals and health systems.

The proliferation of managed care is introducing a host of new challenges for long-term care providers. Pressures have never been greater to increase quality and lower costs. Successful strategies entail excellent drug utilization and avoiding undue waste. Experts advise here how to do it best.

Mango Health is using game mechanics to get people to be more conscientious about taking their meds. The firm has released an app that does just that. Users simply enter their medications or supplements, timing, and doses. The app has an in-game currency users can earn by taking medications on time.

Medi-Dose/EPS has widened its popular line of ShrinkSafe Bands to include five new sizes. All are imprinted with "Sealed for your protection." The bands can be easily applied to items with various sizes, according to the manufacturer.

Time is a valuable and limited resource in long-term care. Caregivers often scramble to meet the varying needs of their residents and struggle to balance those duties against equally time-consuming regulatory requirements.

Omnicell Inc. recently unveiled its Omnicell G4 Unity platform. The new option features a single, shared medication database that connects all G4 Unity solutions to enable complete medication and supply tracking from the controlled substance vault to medication and supply cabinets, the OR and to the bedside.

Omnicell has completed the acquisition of MTS Medication Technologies Inc., a leader in medication adherence packaging systems. Omnicell can better integrate medication management across that broader spectrum of care, according to a company statement. MTS's medication management equipment, software and consumables are used by institutional pharmacy providers to supply long-term care and non-acute care facilities with single-dose, 30-day blister card medication packages to help nurses adhere to prescribed orders.

The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists' 2011 annual meeting and exhibition will take place Wednesday through next Friday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Kicking off the event will be a keynote presentation by Bill Thomas, M.D., founder of the Eden Alternative® and the Green House Project®. On Friday, renowned researcher Howard Friedman, Ph.D., will present "Findings from the Longevity Project: Discoveries for Health and Long Life from an Eight-Decade Study." Numerous educational sessions, exhibits and networking opportunities also will take place, as top senior care medication professionals gather to learn from one another.